You Can Pass the Foreign Service Exam!

If I could pass the Foreign Service Exam, then you can, too.
Gone to college? Like Trivial Pursuit. Ready to put in some time studying and improving your writing? Then you can pass both the computer-based "written" and oral assessments that make up the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT).
Of those who fail, more than 90 percent don't study the right things or use the right techniques. I can help you with both.
Can you write? Fast, clearly, succinctly? Your writing ability is one of the keys to passing the FSOT. If you write like an academic or a pompous prig, you will not pass the Foreign Service Exam. If you went to college, you need to relearn how to write. I will help you.
Trust me.

Yes, that’s right, you can register online starting January 2 for the Foreign Service Exam which will be held during the week of February 2-9. PearsonVue administers the test under contract with the State Department. The Career Tracks As I described in an earlier post, when you register for the Foreign Service Exam you […]

One of the first hurdles to joining the Foreign Service happens even before you take the FSOT. The State Department makes you pick your Career Track, aka Cone, when you register for the Exam. That’s right, even before you’ve worked in an Embassy, you must select your Career Track. Worse still, remember that […]

Disaster… I’ve just sorted out a major problem with my hosting company and have lost posts and other changes since roughly June 2018. It’s partly my fault. Never rely on a hosting service for your backups; make sure you do your own on a regular basis. Meantime, I will be switching hosting companies so […]

Folks, I am currently posting my videos on how to prepare for the Foreign Service Exam on a YouTube Channel. I am walking possible applicants through the process of registering for the FSOT and choosing a Career Track. The State Department has linked the two so when you register for the October test, offered from […]

More encouraging news from the State Department. SecState Pompeo in a May 15 tweet announced that he has lifted the hiring freeze imposed by his predecessor, Rex Tillerson. I’m pleased to announce that I’m lifting @StateDept hiring freeze on Foreign Service and Civil Service employees. We need our men and women on the ground executing […]

I’ve put off writing on this blog, because to me the reign of Rex Tillerson meant the end of the Foreign Service. A corporatist surrounded by narrow-minded groupies, Tillerson & Company hacked away at the Foreign Service. He hired McKinsey to redesign the State Department, he cut the senior ranks of the Foreign Service by […]

The Department has decided to change the format of the first part of the Foreign Service Exam. Starting with the February FSOT instead of having one topic on which to write, applicants will choose one out of three “short topics.” In the past, some test takers were actually asked to write two essays, not just […]

Quick step-by-step guide to pass the first exam of the FSOT: 1. Take the State/Pearson Vue practice test; 2. Based on your score, Identify your strengths and weaknesses.; 3. Study areas where you’re weakest. 4. Use general overview books to review subjects such as economics, US history, international relations, European/Asian/African histories, etc. 5. For English Expression, […]